Creatures
by Sable.Sayomi
Summary: Suppose the group was in a band. Suppose that band was a marching band, and had a performance. Suppose they got abducted during this performance. I do use OC's. This does have slight lesbianism in it. Don't like Don't Read.
1. Chapter 1

"Will you teach us?" One of the weird Creatures asked, it's odd... 'eyes' staring into Jade's hazel one's.

"No," she sneered, "I would nev-"

"Jade." she looked at me when I said her name. I took her shoulder lightly, forcing her to look into my eyes instead of the Creatures. "Do it. Please." One, I didn't want to lose another person to whatever They did to the people who disobeyed. Two, I had a plan. She nodded.

"Alright. I'll teach you." She said, still looking into my eyes. Please, please... Take a long time. "But it may take awhile. It's not easy to learn." I smiled. She got it.

I slowly moved to the door, taking my leave from the room. I had to get everyone that was left. Luckily the Creatures didn't stop me. They were too busy getting what Jade needed to teach Them, which was kind of funny. They usually had one of us do things like that.

When I was out of the room I turned and flat out ran to where I knew the others would be. Jade and I were the only ones on duty today. It was almost luck. The first we've had in awhile.

**;;/;; Flashback ;;\\;;**

It was so clear, if we had only been paying attention to the signs. The fact that They were coming. I wish we had noticed.

The crop circles, those were nothing. Those were idiot farmers looking for money. No, what attracted them was music. They weren't aliens, the Creatures. They were just... Different.

The first home game we had. They were attracted to our music, the marching bands. Right as we were doing our thing and spelling tigers **(A/N: I**'**m not sure what their mascot is... but it seems like everyone's a Tiger.)** before the game, time just suddenly stopped. Then there was a bright flash of light. And we weren't on the field anymore. I looked around when I figured it out.

It was only band kids. No one else. The room we first appeared in, where I was heading now, became our... 'dormitory'. If you could call it that. We made our food in there, and we slept in there, though there were no beds.

**;;/;; Real Time ;;\\;;**

"Tori!"

I was snapped out of my Flashback as I heard my name.

"What are you doing here? They'll beat you for skipping if they find out!" Lexi shrieked at me, her blue eyes being the first to notice my entering the room. She knew I had gotten beaten badly from the first time. Though, everyone did. Lexi had light blond hair, was tall, and very peppy.

I put my hands on my knees, panting. They didn't give us enough food so we couldn't really get into shape. "That's... Why... I... Ran..." I gasped out, then held up a finger. "One... Minute..."

They had all crowded around me as soon as they realized who I was and that I was skipping out on my duties. Yes, I would be beaten if the creatures found out. Bastards.

I regained composure quickly, standing back up. "I can get us out." everyone immediately shut up. They knew I was serious and they knew I could do it. I was the one that had gotten the other half of the band out. I was also the reason they had gotten more strict on the rest of us, but still.

"Jade's going to show Them how to play tennis. Stupid of Them, really. They were giving us weapons. I know the weak spot. Jade can hit the tennis ball hard enough to... Fracture it. It would... Flicker, and when it flickered, we could escape. It's stupid, and dangerous. But the only way we can get out. I've looked around for other ways, but... There are none."

Lexi and Bella were immediately with me, and so was the rest of the depleted flute section. I could see it. The rest weren't so ready to trust me again. That's only because last time I thought I could get everyone out, but had only succeeded in getting half and making it harder on the ones that didn't get through. I saw when it had gone wrong, and purposefully stayed behind. I couldn't leave if there were still people here.

"Flicker, as in something that only lasts a second?" Someone standing in the back asked.

"No. Flicker as in... Like last time." Hope lit their eyes. "It would last a few minutes at least, plenty of time to get us all through." A sudden sharp, loud sound was easily heard by everyone. "Shit..." I muttered under my breath. And they were all suddenly frantic and protective of me, wanting me to get behind them. The Creatures beatings were harsh.

"Guys, stop, stop! I'll be fine. Be at the Front in 30 minutes. Everyone." They all knew what I was talking about. I took off at a sprint towards the sound, hopeing, just hopeing that I wouldn't run into the guard. If I got back to Jade and my station I would be fine. I could rattle off some excuse. And then everyone would be at the front, Jade would hit the ball where I told her to, and we would all be free. Hopefully.

I stopped outside the door to my station and slid slowly back in next to Jade. "Did I miss something?"

"Only a bunch of yelling when they realized you were gone." Jade smirked slightly. "They really don't like you missing from their sights."

"Yeah, well..." I knew what she was implying. Last time I got away and made a plan. This time they were freaking out and...

I choked as I was suddenly thrown back against the wall with something around my neck. Jade gasped. That what I get for thinking, I lose my concentration... My hands were clawing at the thing around my throat, which was one of the Creatures tentacles.

"Where..." It hissed. It had limited English vocabulary. Good, it wasn't the one I was afraid of. Even if it was choking me. Speaking of, my vision was starting to go blurry...

"She can't answer if she can't breathe!" Jade shouted in my defense. Funny, she sounded a long ways off...

I gasped in a sharp breath, falling to my knees on the floor as the tentacle suddenly disappeared. I breathed hard for a few moments until my vision was no longer blurred. "Bathroom," I managed to gasp, looking up at it. "Went to the bathroom," I repeated more clearly. "I didn't expect to get almost killed for it though."

"You... Gone... Tell."

It took me a minute to realize what it meant. "If everyone hadn't looked so busy, maybe I would have told someone. I wasn't going to bother them."

"Lie?" It asked. I almost laughed.

"No. Lying gets you beaten and I've already been beaten once. I'm not going there again."

"Believe." It seemed to nod grudgingly before it... 'walked' off. 'Walked' because it was more a slither...

I got up, a little wobbly, and Jade helped steady me. "I told them 30 minutes." It had already been 10.

"So we need to hurry." It was not a question. I nodded anyway. "Great."

Jade helped me to stand but she yelled at the Creatures to hurry it up. I love it when people yell at Them and They don't retaliate. In a way, it gives hope. The only reason that They weren't doing anything was because Jade was going to teach Them something, though. They readily learned anything, even a stupid game.

"I can stand on my own now," I smiled at her. "Thanks."

"Least I could do. They don't realize it, but they owe you a lot."

I blushed slightly. "I guess… anyone could have figured it out though."

Her tone dropped. "They didn't." She nodded ever so slightly towards the Creatures.

My smile turned into a smirk, the blush gone. That was true, the Creatures hadn't figured it out until half the people They had abducted were gone. I frowned. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. On the exact same page I was. She knew that if this didn't work and They found out it had been me, They would kill me. Or beat me and bring me back repeatedly, only to beat me again. Like last time… One thing was certain. Dying was mercy. Yet, she also knew I would be the last one to get out.

"Ready." The same Creature that attacked me hissed, making us both jump. It had a tennis racket in one tentacle. A container with tennis balls was in the corner.

"Okay," Jade started, "First off, you…"

I tuned it out as she explained tennis to the Creatures. I only needed to pay attention when they started hitting the balls. I leaned back against the wall, just thinking.

**;;/;; Flashback ;;\\;;**

"And you're sure this will work?" Claire whispered to me. Her brown eyes were almost hidden by her dark auburn hair.

"I'm positive." I hadn't been the same way I was now. Then, a cocky smirk had lit my face. Now, I only had that look when I remembered that day.

Claire and I had been on duty together. They had still been allowing enough to let us choose who to be on duty with. Usually Claire stayed with her boyfriend, but I told her to come with me today. Simply because I thought she was the only one that could help me. And she was.

"See that?" I whispered. I was pointing at a small crack in the wall. There were never cracks, which is why this was important to any plan. By now we had figured out that the Creatures weren't aliens. Simply experiments gone wrong. Stupid scientists. They just had to try and make virtual reality… Course, no one could blame them. No one wanted to live in our little messed up world. "Do you think it will work?" I asked her.

"You're kidding, right?" I smiled. "Of course."

"Great. Get out of here." I watched nervously as Claire went to the crack, grateful that no one was supposed to be here. She touched it, pressing her finger hard against the crack. It went through, and suddenly, Claire wasn't there anymore. I almost yelled with joy. It had worked!

**;;/;; Real Time ;;\\;;**

I jumped when someone shook me. Jade. "Yeah?"

"They're ready." If I had to guess it had been another 15 minutes. 5 more until everyone else got here.

"Take some practice shots. It won't be long now." Jade nodded. I suddenly got a bad feeling in my gut. I had to push it off though. I had to get everyone out of here, because if I didn't, everyone would end up dead. I knew what had to be done and I was going to do it.

My ears pricked up slightly as I heard footsteps coming down the hall. Finally. I walked to Jade and placed a hand on her arm. She looked at me and nodded.

"Okay! 10 minute break!" The Creatures were exhausted and immediately left. Don't ask me how, they just... Disappear. Frameworks, I guess.

**;;/;; Outside, Claire's POV ;;\\;;**

"You have to give them more time! They're smart, they can get out!" Claire was glaring at a thin, bald scientist.

"Look, I'm sorry, but it's a danger to have the thing still running. Even if there are still people in there. There's a possibility for those thi-"

"Creatures." Claire interjected.

"For those Creatures to get out. We can't possibly-"

"A week." Claire interrupted again. "I'm just asking for a week."

**;;/;; Flashback, Claire's POV ;;\\;;**

"I know they'll pull something on the Outside sooner or later. That's why we have to get out. You know?" Tori looked worried. And not like usual. She was stressed, because she knew this had to work. She also didn't want anything bad to happen to me, because I was taking the risk. But she couldn't. She had to tell everyone if it worked.

"Yeah. I know. Quit worrying so much."

"Were you comfortable?" She suddenly asked me. I guess I looked confused, because she said "On the bus. Remember?" I remembered all too clearly. I switched seats on the bus to sit beside her for a bit when we were coming home from Disney. We were both tired and fell asleep. She had woken up to my head on her shoulder. I didn't know why she wanted to know, but... "Yeah. Yeah, I was."

"You were so embarrassed when you woke up. You immediately went back to your normal seat. I had been comfortable too, you know-" she flinched, thinking she had said too much. She was sensitive about liking girls because she liked approval even if she didn't show it.

"It's okay. I know what you meant. You're right, I was embarrassed." We shared a small smile, before she got serious again. It kind of made me sad.

"Anyway. If this works, you need to keep them stalled. Don't let them shut down this Game. They'd be ending lives."

"I know. We've been over this."

"And you know that after a year..."

I teared up. "I know."

She got cocky again. "But we're getting everyone out."

"Yeah. We are."

**;;/;; Real time, Outside, Claire's POV ;;\\;;**

It wouldn't have been a year yet, but I wasn't going to ask for two more whole months. That was too much. I started tearing up again at the memory, and that's when the scientist gave in.

"Hey, it's okay, alright? One more week. They'll get out. From what you said, your friends pretty smart." So he does have a heart.

"T-thank you..."

"No problem kid. But you better watch that thing yourself. I'm one of the nicer ones. There are people here that will shut that thing down because it's a safety hazard to everyone out here. And themselves." He muttered something that sounded like 'selfish bastards' but I chose to ignore that.

"Thank you again, sir." I nodded. I would set up a vigil with the families and friends of the people in there. No one would get past us.

**;;/;; Inside, Tori's POV ;;\\;;**

Everyone was at the Front all at once. Jade looked grim, and I was just plain nervous. "We should do it now. Like, now. Everyone's here. Except Them. Like it should be."

"Chill." Jade rested a hand on my shoulder. "You know we have to wait."

"Remind me why again?" Jade rolled her eyes.

"We have to make sure it's at the same time as the rest disappeared or it may not work right. Because we don't know if it's a specific time or not. We can't afford to let anything happen. You've said this a million times. You know."

"Right." was all I said. She was right. I was just nervous. I knew. And it was only a minute away. The Creatures break ended in 3. God, this was going to be close. I gave a short laugh. God? Since when do I believe in that anymore? Ah... I need to stop talking to myself. "Now. Do it now."

"Right..." she said nervously. She threw the ball up in the air. Had split-second aim, and...

The ball hit the crack. At however fast it was going, however hard Jade could hit it. There was a moment where everyone tensed up, and then... Chaos. Absolute chaos. It seemed like the world exploded. The only thing I could think was 'At least no Creatures got out...'

**;;/;; Jade's POV ;;\\;;**

I rolled my eyes at Tori's question. She knew full well why. I answered anyway. "We have to make sure it's at the same time as the rest disappeared or it may not work right. Because we don't know if it's a specific time or not. We can't afford to let anything happen. You've said this a million times. You know."

"Right." She said. I knew she was thinking. I started thinking too. She would tell me when it was time. She had a supernatural ability to pretty much always know the time. It was creepy. But she would know when. She had these times down-

"Now. Do it now."

"Right." I said nervously. I threw the ball up, took aim, and... The ball hit the crack. Perfectly. I was proud. Then the world exploded. I was throw back onto my back. I heard people yell. I felt myself being pulled and let it happen. I'm pretty sure I screamed. Then, black.

**;;/;; Tori's POV ;;\\;;**

I felt more than saw Jade being thrown from my side. I yelled and jumped after her. I felt weightless, which was weird. Felt myself being pulled. No, I have to get Jade... I felt my hand latch onto something that felt like an ankle. Decided to yell: "Let it take you! Let it take you! I know you feel it pulling you, let it take you!" I'm not sure if anyone hear me but still...

Whoever I was holding onto flew back past me. I had no choice but to go with them because I was holding onto their ankle. The world went black for an instant. Then I felt myself land on someone.

"What the-" I recognized the voice immediately.

"Claire!"

"Tori?"

"Claire! Claire, we did it!" her arms went around me and I realized I was sobbing into her shoulder. It was so horrible in there... "D-did everyone make it?"

"I'm surprised you didn't wait till last, like last time."

"I had no choice. It exploded... Jade! Did you see her? Tell me you saw her!" I jerked back from Claire's shoulder, alternating from looking around to looking into her eyes. "She was right beside me! It knocked her back, but..."

"Tori? I didn't know you cared so much."

"Jade!" I turned and before I could even think, I was off of Claire and had tackled her. "Of course I was worried!"

"Ow! Watch it!"

"Sorry!" I could hear Claire chuckle behind me. "Jade... I was worried."

"I know. You said that."

"I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't made it. You helped me so much after... After..."

"Yeah." Jade finally wrapped her arms around me and held me close. "Yeah I know. Others would have helped but they were afraid."

"Afraid of hurting me worse and afraid of getting hurt themselves. But you weren't."

**;;/;; Claire's POV ;;\\;;**

"Afraid of hurting me worse and afraid of getting hurt themselves. But you weren't." There was something in Tori's voice when she said that. It just got to me. Something happened when all of them didn't get out. Something bad. I decided to think about this and let them have their moment, so I turned away and walked off.

"Claire?" Tori's hesitant voice followed me.

"Yeah?" I asked, without turning.

"Where are you going?"

"Someone has to tell the scientists, and parents, and... Everyone."

"Right."

**;;/;; Bird's eye view, Narrator's POV ;;\\;;**

There were three girls in a room, one lighter haired brunette on top of a dark brown haired girl, but looking towards a auburn haired girl. The dark brown and brunette embracing. The third auburn haired girl a few steps off from the pair, not looking back at them as she talked to them. Pain was evident in her posture, but no one knew why. The light haired brunette and the dark brown haired girl shared a look, the dark brown haired girl kissing the light haired brunette on the forehead gently and comfortingly as the auburn haired girl walked out of the room. The brunette buried her head into the dark brown haired girl's shoulder, sobs echoing around the room as the brunette lost her composure and just cried, the dark brown haired girl just holding her.

**A/N:**

**Yeah... Terrible, isn't it? This came to me in a dream. Do you want to know what Claire(the auburn haired girl) said? Do you want to know if Tori and Jade become a couple? It's undetermined as of yet, but if you want me to write another chapter I will. Um... Review and tell me how terrible my mind is. I dare you. Please?**

**P.S: If you have a question, just ask me. This had a completely different ending so it looks wrong to me on here… but I couldn't write the ending without, like, crying… So… Yeah. Anyways. Just ask. And if you want me to write the actual ending and post it as another chapter, say so and I will. I'll do anything for you guys. Review, please. Any are appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 1 Alternate Ending

**Quick A/N: This is the ALTERNATE ENDING. Not the second chapter. You have to excuse me, but I wanted to post it so you people could see how I could have ended this immediately instead of giving you a sort of choice on whether I should go on or not.**

**;;/;; Inside, Tori's POV ;;\\;;**

Everyone was at the Front all at once. Jade looked grim, and i was just plain nervous. "We should do it now. Like, now. Everyone's here. Except Them. Like it should be."

"Chill." Jade rested a hand on my shoulder. "You know we have to wait."

"Remind me why again?" Jade rolled her eyes.

"We have to make sure its at the same time as the rest disappeared or it may not work right. Because we don't know if its a specific time or not. We can't afford to let anything happen. You've said this a million times. You know."

"Right." was all I said. She was right. I was just nervous. I knew. And it was only a minute away. The Creatures break ended in 3. God, this was going to be close. I gave a short laugh. God? Since when do i believe in that anymore? Ah... I need to stop talking to myself. "Now. Do it now."

"Right..." she said nervously. She threw the ball up in the air. Had split-second aim, and...

The ball hit the crack. At however fast it was going, however hard Jade could hit it. There was a moment where everyone tensed up, and then... Chaos. Absolute chaos. It seemed like the world exploded. The only thing i could think was 'At least no Creatures got out...'

**;;/;; Jade's POV ;;\\;;**

I rolled my eyes at Tori's question. She knew full well why. I answered anyway. "We have to make sure its at the same time as the rest disappeared or it may not work right. Because we don't know if its a specific time or not. We can't afford to let anything happen. You've said this a million times. You know."

"Right." She said. I knew she was thinking. I started thinking too. She would tell me when it was time. She had a supernatural ability to pretty much always know the time. It was creepy. But she would know when. She had these times down-

"Now. Do it now."

"Right." I said nervously. I threw the ball up, took aim, and... The ball hit the crack. Perfectly. I was proud. Then the world exploded. I was thrown back onto my back. I heard people yell. I felt myself being pulled and let it happen. I'm pretty sure i screamed. Then, black.

**;;/;; Tori's POV ;;\\;;**

I heard Jade scream. There was nothing i could do about it. It was gone, i could see. Barely.

"Go! Everyone go!" I screamed. I didn't know if they could hear me or not. But what i did hear was people moving forward. So i could only hope. Then i yelled. Someone had grabbed me, was dragging me. It wasn't the Creatures, they weren't here. So i was willing to bet it was Lexi and Bella. Dragging me out. I was surprised at their strength.

"Guys, stop! I have to make sure everyone gets out!" I yelled.

"No! You're going out before! They'll kill you if you don't!" Bella screamed back at me.

I couldn't struggle. They were holding my arms too tightly. Plus, they had to get out too. I felt myself falling. We must be out. I barely had time to scream before i hit the ground and blacked out. One thing i heard before i blacked out was the sound of two bodies hitting the ground beside me. Then, nothing.

**;;/;; Claire's POV ;;\\;;**

I saw it go away. I stared in shock as people started coming out, then falling the distance to the ground. To me it looked like everyone got out. I cheered, then ran towards everyone.

It only took me a few minutes to get there. What i saw first was Tori, Lexi, and Bella on the ground. Tori was passed out. Lexi and Bella were trying to wake her up.

I dropped to the ground next to them, and started shaking Tori, hard. Then i took my water bottle out and poured the remaining water out on her head.

She woke up almost instantly and tried to yell. Bella and Lexi left. Probably to go see their families. I couldn't blame them.

"Shush." I said.

"Claire?"

"You bet."

She completely ignored my answer.

"Did Jade get out? She should be right behind us."

I frowned. If Jade had been the one to hit the wall... She wasn't going to take this well.

"Tori..."

"She was right behind us, right?" Tori was now sitting up, facing me. Tears in her eyes. She knew.

"Tori... Jade's... Probably dead..."

Tori bowed her head. Tears were dripping from her eyes. I pulled her into my lap. She cried against my shoulder while i rubbed her back.

"Sh-she was... Right beside me... I was s-supposed to get Everyone out!"

I just kept rubbing her back. There wasn't much else i could do. She had done her best, but if i said that then she would just say her best hadn't been good enough.

"You know… I should have been the one to hit it." I stared at her in surprise. She knew?

She smiled very slightly at the look on my face. The smile disappeared quickly. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. You know? She was the only one doing something. The rest of us were just standing there."

"Yeah, well… You didn't know."

"I should have."

"But there was no way you could have." I glared at her.

"But I should have." She glared right back.

"You're not expected to know everything!"

"At least I was trying!" She snapped.

I stared at her, hurt. She knew as well as I did that everyone had pretty much given up once they had realized we were trapped.

She ignored me, and went on. "You don't know this Claire, but once you guys got out, and whatever it was happened so the rest of us couldn't… They hurt me. The Creatures. They hurt me so bad, that I couldn't remember my name. That death would have been welcome. But no! They had some sort of technology so they could just keep bringing me back and bringing me back and keep hurting me…"

"Tori…" I whispered, horrified.

She plowed on, ignoring me again. "And you know the only one that helped me? Jade! She was the only one! Everyone else was too scared to watch their own butts that they wouldn't even consider what would happen to me! I still have the scars, Claire!..." She stopped, her voice wavering and breaking at a memory. "I still have them… They still burn..."

"Oh, Tori…" She turned and started sobbing into my chest again.

**;;/;; Tori's POV ;;\\;;**

_I can't believe I told her all of that… No. I can't believe I was crying over it. I can't believe Jade didn't make it… No! Those are bad thoughts. I just… the moment. That's how I've dealt with everything before. Live in the moment. Like how it was Claire comforting me instead of Jade… No! Don't think about her. _I just kept sobbing into Claire's chest. I felt bad about that, because her shirt must be soaked… but she was here, and I needed someone.

"I-I'm sorry…" I managed to stutter.

"Shush" She replied. There was a slightly irritated tone in her voice. I could imagine why… but it still hurt me.

I pushed back from her, and slid off her lap. I was reminded that I was hurt by the immediate dizziness I felt. "I-if you're irritated with me… then don't even bother trying to comfort me!"

She stared, stunned. "Tori, you're hurt… calm down."

"No! If you're irritated with me, go… go help the others." I stared at her stubbornly. Though it was hard to be stubborn when there were still tears rolling down my cheeks.

Claire sighed. She knew me well enough. "Just… don't go out of this room. You're hurt. You probably have a concussion. Okay?"

"Fine."

Claire got up, and left me in peace. I layed back on the grass. I could really feel the dizziness. I groaned and closed my eyes. And fell asleep. It felt incredible to just let go.

**;;/;; Claire's POV, hours later ;;\\;;**

I shouldn't have left Tori alone. I knew she had probably had a concussion, and with no one there to wake her up in case she fell asleep… The fact that I was staring at her lifeless body… that was my fault. I wonder if she knew it was happening. I'm an idiot…

Guilt was consuming me. And pain. I was harassing myself in my head, even as people told me it wasn't my fault. But it was. Because I left her alone. I shouldn't have left her alone..!

And even so, a part of me wonders if this was how she had felt about Jade. I would understand why she was so torn up if it was. Who am I kidding? This was exactly how she felt, and probably a lot worse. I couldn't stand myself right now. I just turned, and ran. Letting nothing stop me.

**A/N: **

**So? What do you guys think?  
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**Review. This story depends on it. **


	3. Chapter 2

**;;/;; Tori's POV ;;\\;;**

It was the day after we got out. And i was doing pretty much nothing. I just sat there, waiting. There was nothing I could do. The doctor's weren't there yet. I sighed impatiently. This was my first check up since we had gotten out. There wasn't anything wrong, per say, but they wanted to... Check us out. To make sure we really were okay. Apparently even after what she said, Claire still cared to some point to where she had told them I had been beaten. So I was the first one to have an appointment. (A/N: just so you guys know... Even if you think that you know what Claire said, you don't. I haven't told anyone yet and it's not in any of the chapters.)

I felt like just leaving. I knew the doctors were late. But why? If they weren't gonna be here on time, obviously they had something better to do...

My thoughts were interrupted as a tall female doctor walked in the room, followed by a slightly taller guy. I raised an eyebrow. About time. I still had to wonder what took them so long. There was a silence as I waited for them to speak.

The female spoke first. "You're... Tori, correct?" she flipped her dark black hair over her shoulder. I wondered if she was nervous. But why should she be?

"Yeah." I responded quietly.

"To tell you the truth, I expected something different."

My eyes flashed. "Excuse me, but I'm here to know that I'm not screwed up in any way, not to be judged by you!"

She moved back a step. I took pleasure in that. "Yes, well... Let's get on with it, shall we?"

"If I have to."

"Shirt off, please." I froze at that. I don't know if there were scars from when they beat me, but that's probably what the doctors were looking for... Most likely to see if I had healed properly.

"I... I... Okay." I didn't even look to see what was probably a smirk on the female doctor's face. The male doctor had left. I took off my shirt but held it to my front. I heard a gasp from the doctor, and then a hand on my back. I tensed up, and almost yelled.

"That hurts!" I yelped. Almost funny though, because it had never hurt before...

"That's not a surprise..." the doctor murmured.

"Then why the hell did you touch it?" I wasn't in pain anymore. Just angry. She's a doctor, she's supposed to be smart.

"Well... You probably don't know this but your back is torn up. Badly. But it's not bleeding. But I had to know for sure."

"But... It's never hurt before you touched it."

"Have other people touched it before me?"

"Yes, but my shirt was in the way..."

"Hm." was all she said to that.

I waited a minute before asking "Um... Is it bad?"

She ignored my question. "Lay down. On your stomach."

I hesitated... But moved laid down on the thing they always had in the doctor's offices. I winced at the crackle of the paper.

"Did that hurt?" She asked, surprised.

"No. Just the noise. So-" I suddenly screamed. It felt like my back was on fire! There was this more condensed spot... She must be pressing down on my back. I screamed wordlessly but was yelling profanity in my mind.

The pain suddenly lessened, then was pretty much gone. I heard her quietly ask if I could lift myself up. I did, realizing she must be putting a bandage or something on my back. My thought was confirmed when I felt something wrap around my stomach and then pain on my back again. It wasn't as bad this time, and I was prepared, so I only squeaked a little. I let myself fall back onto my stomach and closed my eyes when she was done.

I felt a light hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and peered up at the doctor as well as a few other people that had apparently burst in when they heard me screaming. "I'm okay." I said. Far from the truth, but the doctor had only hurt me to help me. I saw Jade in the crowd of people and smiled. She must have been the first one in the room, considering she was at the front of the crowd. I raised my hand up to wave at her and promptly passed out.

**;;/;; Jade's POV ;;\\;;**

I was waiting in the waiting room when I heard her scream. Everyone in the room jumped. But when I heard it, I was up and down the hall faster than I thought possible. I opened the door in time to see the female doctor wrapping a bandage around her back. Tori screamed again. I winced in sympathy. Her back must be worse than we thought. Though she had never complained when any of us had touched her...

Tori lifted herself up, which surprised me. The doctor must have told her to, but she was in serious pain. Tori's eyes were shut tightly and when the doctor touched her back again, she only squeaked.

Tori let herself fall back down onto the bed. The doctor laid a hand on her shoulder. Tori opened her eyes to look at the doctor, then she looked over at me. Though not directly at me, so there must be people behind me. Then she saw me. I knew because she smiled reassuringly and lifted a hand to wave, but passed out instead.

I yelled out something and rushed to the bed. I gripped Tori's hand for a moment before looking up at the doctor. "What happened? Why did she pass out?"

"The pain must have been too much for her. I didn't give her anything because I wasn't aware it would hurt her that much."

"You weren't... She screamed, for God's sake! You could have stopped when she screamed and then given her morphine or something!"

The doctor narrowed her eyes. "What is your business here, young lady? Because I don't see how you have a right to criticize what I do or don't do to a patient!"

Bitch. She was such a bitch. I narrowed my own eyes. "My business here is that Tori is a close friend of mine! We were in there together! I know what happened to her, not you! I comforted her and she didn't show one ounce of pain! I ought to hav-"

"Did anyone else touch her after she got... Beaten? Besides you?" she interrupted me.

I frowned in confusion. "No, but-"

"You're sure?"

"I was the only one that touched her back. I'm sure of it." I paused. "Was it that bad?"

"The skin seemed to be completely gone. But she wasn't bleeding. It was... Odd. Did she show any signs of pain before...?"

"Before today? No." I looked down at Tori worriedly.

"She'll be okay, right?"

The doctor sounded like she was smiling. Her voice was thick with sympathy. "She should be perfectly fine. It may take her awhile to heal, but other than that..."

"Good." I pulled up a convenient nearby chair and sat down in it. I didn't let go of Tori's hand once.

"I'll leave you be. I'm not going to move her. If she wakes up, notify me."

"Will do." I responded. I heard the doctor saying a few things to the few people that were left in the room. Then heard the door click, and Tori and I were alone. I sighed. I only wanted her to be okay.

I stared at her, still holding her hand. Today was going to be a slow day.

**;;/;; A bit later, Jade's POV ;;\\;;**

I woke up because it felt like the world was shaking. There was a vice-like grip on my hand, and barely noticeable whimpering sounds coming from... From Tori! Shit! I can't believe I fell asleep! I jerked up from having my head on her bed. Tori was frowning in her sleep, letting out another sound and she turned over. I almost gasped. My hand was probably extremely bruised by now.

I shook her shoulder lightly with my free hand. She jerked awake, her eyes instantly finding me. "Jade!" she looked down at our hands and blushed, immediately letting go. I winced as the blood returned to my hand. "I'm so, so sorry!"

"It's okay. It's not your fault that you had a nightmare." I said as I flexed my hand. I didn't question why she had blushed.

"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously.

I'm fine, are y-"

She cut me off. "Have you been here this whole time?". It was my turn to blush. But why was I?

"Uhh... Yeah. I've been here since you passed out... By the way. Be careful about your back."

She nodded. "Um. We should probably get someone to look at your hand."

"No, I'm fine. But I do need to go get your doctor. She said to as soon as you woke up."

"Oh." She looked down. I frowned.

"Are you okay?"

"Hm?" She blinked. "Oh. Yeah. Just a nightmare. It's better now because I know your here an-" she realized what she said and blushed deeply. I was in shock, just staring at her. I got over it quickly and stood up, then leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"We're all okay. I'll go get your doctor, okay?" I said and smiled as I straightened up.

"Okay." She nodded. Then hesitated. "Jade?"

"Yeah?" I questioned, already at the door.

"I... love you." She... What? I mean... What? Did I hear that? Did she mean it? I was frozen, my hand on the door handle. I also realized I was blushing. But why?

Before I could stop myself, I responded, "I love you too." and smiled. Did I mean it? Hell, had she even meant in that way? Before I could hear anything else she said, I opened the door and left quickly, closing the door behind me.

**;;/;; Tori's POV ;;\\;; **

I can't believe I told her. No- I can't believe she responded. And like that! I expected her to yell. But then... Did I really? Jade had always... Looked at me in ways, and just recently, she started kissing my forehead, and hugging me tighter than normal. I heard her words again. 'I love you too'.

Maybe she only meant as a sister... or a friend. But a girl could hope, right? I realized I still didn't have my shirt on. I glanced at the floor where I had dropped it earlier, a determined look crossing my face. I slid slowly off the bed, mindful of my back.

It all went well until I got overconfident. I hit the floor, and immediately kneeled down. I had to stretch slightly to reach my shirt, so I did, and there was immediate pain shooting through my back. I gasped, losing my balance. I fell onto my back, which only caused more pain. I started shaking, holding in my screams. I rolled over quickly and whimpered, just laying there on my stomach.

That's when the door decided to open. I heard Jade shout "Tori!" and the doctor only gasped. Then I felt two pairs of hands lifting me up, carefully avoiding my back. I was blushing out of humiliation. I couldn't even do one thing without help... Then I blushed. I was really grateful that the bandage covered all of my front. Even so...

"What were you thinking?" Jade yelled at me, after helping the doctor put me back on the bed. "You could have gotten hurt worse!" I was about to yell back at her, but realizing she was close to crying.

"I, um... I just wanted my shirt..." I bowed my head slightly.

There was a silence.

"Oh." Jade finally said.

"Jade, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The doctor said. Then looked down at me after seeing me frown. "Is that okay?" She revised her sentence.

"Ye-"

"No, wait." I looked up at the doctor. "What's she have to leave for?" I spoke my thoughts.

"I have to look at your back again, for one. I also have to look other places to make sure you're not hurt. I would have done this earlier, but you passed out."

Oh. "Well... That makes sense." I sighed.

Jade was frowning. She took my hand. I'm guessing she wasn't happy about the doctor 'looking other places'. But that was only a slight hope. "I'll be right outside the door. I promise." I nodded.

"Thank you." she nodded back to me, before letting go of my hand. Then she turned around and left the room. I looked at the doctor.

She seemed to be hiding a smile. "Will you be uncomfortable, or will you let me look for other injuries?"

"I'll let you look. But I'm pretty sure there aren't anymore. Umm... I don't think I can get my things off without causing myself pain."

She nodded. "Don't worry. You should be able to."

Wait, what? I echoed my thoughts. "What?"

"You should be able to. There's a mirror in the bathroom over there." She pointed to a second door that I just now noticed. "You'll have to examine yourself. Injuries are pretty easy to notice." Before I could protest, she had left the room, closing the door behind her.

**;;/;; Jade's POV ;;\\;;**

I stood right outside the door, waiting. When the doctor came out, I moved to go in, but she blocked my way.

"She's going to examine herself. I'm not going to. She's capable of it, and besides. There's no need to make you jealous."

I nodded. Wait, what? Jealous? "Jealous?" I echoed.

The doctor looked at me in surprise. "She's your girlfriend, isn't she?"

I blushed and shook my head mutely.

"Oh. Hmm." She smiled slightly. "I'm sorry, then. I have to ask you, though. Did anyone else get hurt in there?"

"No. Just Tori. You shouldn't have to examine anyone else."

"That's good." She saw the look on my face. "That no one else got hurt, I mean. Sad that she did, but good that no one else got hurt."

I nodded. "Yeah."

"It was good of you to tell us that she had been. No one else seemed willing to speak up."

"I had to make sure she would be okay." Course... Lieing to her and telling her that everyone else was getting checked out too wasn't exactly the best thing to do, but I had to get her in here somehow.

There was a shout from inside the room. I moved to open the door automatically, but the doctor stopped me, and knocked on the door, calling out "Are you dressed?" to Tori.

Her muffled reply came through the door "Yeah!" the doctor immediately opened the door. "It didn't even hurt that much." Tori continued.

"You yelled." I said quietly.

"Putting my shirt back on hurt." she said to me. She looked at the doctor. "There were no other injuries."

"Good, good. You should be able to go home today, but I would be careful all the same."

"Yes ma'am." Tori replied, raising an eyebrow. I chuckled. Wait for it... "But I know how to take care of myself. I know what hurts and what doesn't."

The doctor sighed, but smiled. "Good girl." I froze. Tori stiffened. Shit...

**;;/;; Tori's POV ;;\\;;**

"Good girl." The doctor said. I saw Jade freeze. I stiffened.

_I heard a completely different voice saying "Good girl." Suddenly, I was on the ground. I was breathing hard, shaking. I felt pain throughout my whole body, and blood from my back running down my sides. A tentacle tip lifted my chin up. The dead eyes of a Creature stared down at me. I didn't see anything else. Just Its eyes. It spoke. "Now, my good girl. We won't be doing that again, will we?" There was a smirk in its voice. I shook my head and gasped. Painful! Everything was painful! It backed up and whipped me one more time. Then It left. It left me there... Not to die, but to suffer. Everything they did was to make you suffer. I wasn't underestimating anything in saying that I wanted to die._

I realized there were distant voices calling my name. It was... Jade's? But who else... It was... I've heard it before... It was the doctor's voice. I gasped.

And suddenly, I was out of the painful memory, staring up at Jade's and the doctor's faces. I focused on Jade's. She knew what had happened. It's happened before. I shook my head slightly at her. Then focused on the doctor's face. She had been saying something. What was it?

I turned my head and looked at the ground. They must have sat my on the bed. There was a blood smear. The doctor had said I was bleeding.

But I hadn't... Except then. That one time. I looked at the doctor again. "I can... Still go home, right?"

She frowned. Opened her mouth, closed it again. I could see she wanted to say no. But there was something stopping her.

"Honestly, I'm fine... As long as you don't say those words, I'm fine..."

"I believe you..." There was a but. I could feel it.

"I'd stay with Jade... She knows..." I really didn't want to stay at a hospital.

The doctor raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on it. "As long as you make sure no one says those words... And you come back in every month or so... I see no problem with it."

I smiled in relief. Jade and I had already agreed a long time ago that if we ever got out we would live with each other. It didn't have to do with anything other than the fact that we had gotten so used to it and we couldn't see it another way.

The doctor looked at Jade. "You're okay with it?"

"I am." she responded.

"Then okay. You both can go." she smiled at us both. "Be careful. And oh yeah. No charge for the check up."

Jade helped me off the bed, holding my arm to make sure I didn't fall. She helped me out of the doctor's office. I was glad no one else seemed to be around. It would have been humiliating.

She opened the passenger side door to the car and helped me in. She closed the door and got in the car on the driver's side. Then she drove us both to her house. She was silent. I was too busy thinking to really notice.

That was when I remembered certain words we exchanged earlier. This was going to be awkward for awhile. Though, I hoped it wouldn't be that bad for long…

**A/N: Bad ending, I know. But how did you like it? What about when those words were exchanged? ;). And what about the thing that happened to Tori when two certain words were said? What will happen to Tori and Jade? We also still haven't learned what the words Claire said to Tori were. Hmm. If you want these things to be explained, stay with me! And oh yeah. Review ;). **

**P.S., Jade and Tori aren't together.**


	4. Chapter 3

**;;/;; Jade's POV ;;\\;;**

It was a couple days after the doctor's office. We had avoided incident, Tori's back hasn't been hurting her, and she hasn't been having those… flashbacks. Whatever they are. Tori had been distant though. Even without her flashbacks, she kept thinking of Them. I wanted to erase her memory, she didn't deserve having bad ones. She was staring off at the moment.

"Tori, hey, you there?" I asked quietly, wrapping my arms around her. I didn't care about the fact that I started blushing, I just wanted to know if she was okay. She was in her own little world, and I intended to get her out of it.

"Hm? Yeah… I am. What'cha need, Jade?" She looked at me, smiling slightly.

"Well, I want you out of that world you're living in." I replied, tapping her head gently for emphasis.

"I'll think about it." Her smile turned into a smirk.

"Someone's being sassy today." I remarked.

"Someone deserves a day or five off, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean sitting around moping."

"Touché." She sighed.

"Come on. We need to do something other than sit around here."

"Then you go do something, I'll be fine."

"I said we, not I."

"Was the I implied?" I could almost see her smiling. It wasn't quite there yet.

"It was not." I couldn't help but smile. She was getting her attitude back. I couldn't blame her for losing it, from what we had been through though.

"Then fine, let's go somewhere." She gave in.

"Like…" I wanted her making all the decisions.

"Like…" She actually looked like she was thinking about it. I was happy. "What's even on anymore?"

I was confused for a second, because it didn't sound like a movie. Then I got it. "Oh. Um. Well, let's go and see." I let go of her, and went to go get my laptop. When I returned, she was sitting on the couch waiting for me. I sat next to her and opened my laptop, typing in . "Here. You look."

"Okay…" She said quietly, taking my laptop from me. "Well… how about… Pirates?"

"You want to?" I asked. She nodded. "Okay. Pirates it is then."

"What time?" She asked me.

"Nuh uh. You're making the decisions, missy."

She smiled faintly. "Fine, fine…" She looked back down at my laptop, clicking away at a few things. "How about the 9 o'clock one?"

"That's fine with me. It's a date." I smiled teasingly. She blushed. My smile grew.

"A-a date?"

"Yeah. A date. Problem?" I snickered.

"N-no. Not one."

I started laughing at this.

She frowned at me, glaring. "What's so funny?" She demanded.

"You, you're so… so… cute!" I gasped out.

"Well… well… Ugh!" She huffed.

I stopped laughing and put my laptop on the table, then wrapped my arms around her. "I'm just teasing. It's okay. You are cute though. You're spirit's coming back."

"My spirit?"

"Yeah… you were so distant when we got out. Especially after the doctor's office."

"Well… you know what happened though."

"I do. But usually… you don't let things like that get to you. You're happy again. Which makes me happy."

"Jadelyn West, happy?" She smirked, using my full name.

"Victoria Vega, depressed?" I countered.

"Touché." She said.

"Now, let's get ready for that date, shall we?" I smirked as she started stuttering. I knew that would get to her.

**;;/;; A few fluff filled hours later ;;\\;;**

Tori stood in front of me in a knee length purple dress, and had one inch heels on. I swear she was only wearing the heels because she wanted to be taller than me. I whistled.

"Wow, Tori. I'm impressed. It's only the movies."

She scoffed. "Have you seen what _you're _wearing?" It was true. I was slightly worse than her. I was wearing a mid-calf length black dress. I had my hair up and had heels on as well. Did we both over-do it? Yes. Were we going to change? No. Because we had both planned this. We wanted to see how ridiculously fancy we could look while just going to see a movie.

"That's true. Ready?"

"Yep." She nodded. "Let's go get looked at weird!" She proclaimed and dragged me to my car.

"Hey, hey! Slow down!"

"No, you speed up!"

"We're not walking all the way to the theatre, we're taking my car!"

"Oh. Right." She let me go, a little deflated.

I rolled my eyes slightly at her. "You gonna get in the car?"

A slightly mischievous look came across her face. I frowned. What could she be up to? Wait. Did she get shorter? "Catch me if you can, Jade!" She suddenly said, darting off in the direction of the movie theatre.

"Oh, you little !" I yelled, sliding my shoes off and running after her. I could hear her laughter. I pushed myself faster, but so did she. Damn, did she run fast. I guess that's how she never got caught by Them…

"Tori!" I yelled. "Slow down!"

"Why?" She called back, but did slow down enough so I could catch up to her. I grabbed onto her hand tightly.

"We can walk the rest of the way, since we're almost there. I just wanted you near me in case something happens. You know?" I had a bad feeling in my stomach. It could just be nothing, but I wanted Tori safe.

"Yeah, I know." She looked at me, studying my face. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I just wanted to be near you. There are crazy people out here sometimes, and I just didn't want it to seem like you were walking alone."

"That makes sense."

I smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, it does."

"I can see the movie theatre."

"I can too."

"Wanna run again?"

"You know it."

I kept a hold of her hand and started moving forward quickly. She didn't drop my hand either, but was quickly an arm's length away.

"Slow down, Tori!"

"No, you speed up!"

We both knew we were repeating our conversation from earlier. Neither of us cared. We got to the movie theatre without either of us falling, and I ordered our tickets. I looked at Tori. "The downside of walking here is we have to walk back. And it will be even later."

She didn't seem fazed. "So? You'll protect me."

I blinked, stunned. Did she really believe that? We could both easily protect each other, just because of what we've been through… but did she trust me enough to really think I'd protect her? I would without a thought… but she trusts me enough to…

"Jade?" She questioned, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry."

"It's okay." She smiled.

**A/N: I've decided to end it here. I know It's not as long as usual, but I have writer's block at the moment. If you read this story, and really care about it, pm me your ideas. As always, Review. **


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Have I even done one yet for this story? Hmm. Well, No, I don't own VicTorious ( VicJorious xD ) or… anything but the storyline I suppose. **

**;;/;; Jade's POV ;;\\;;**

I didn't know why, but today felt like a bad day. And it was odd, considering that Tori and I had basically had a date last night. I smiled at that fact, but the smile quickly went away. It still felt like a bad day. It was just in the air.

I got up out of bed, not bothering to change out of my PJ's. Opening my door, I could immediately tell something was wrong. Tori was on the couch, instead of in her bed. She was asleep though, so instead of waking her up, I sat down on the couch next to her head.

I scooted closer, and lifted her head slightly and put it back down on my lap. She made a small noise in her sleep, and I started to stroke her hair soothingly. We stayed like that for a few minutes before Tori woke up.

"Jade?" She murmured.

"Yeah, Vega?" I had gotten out of the habit of calling her that, but I still did sometimes to tease her.

I could see her roll her eyes, and she sat up as I let go of her. "Stop calling me that."

"Or what?" I smirked playfully.

"Or… or… you got me there." She frowned. I chuckled.

"You need better comebacks. What were you gonna say?" I asked.

Her frown went from slightly joking to actually sad and scared in seconds. "Tori?" I asked again.

"Do you… do you ever think They'll come back?"

I froze up slightly. She just named my personal nightmare. Them coming back. "All the time, Tori. But… when I think about it, the scientists were supposed to have destroyed them. So… I think we're okay."

She nodded. I could see she wasn't the slight bit reassured, or else she had something else on her mind.

"Was what Claire said true?" Apparently, it was the second one this time…

"No. Not at all. That's completely… what she said was completely wrong and completely the opposite."

"But she said…"

"I know. But she's wrong. There's nothing we can do about it." I wrapped my arms around her stubbornly. Claire had been a bitch to her, and for no reason.

**;;/;; Flashback, Jade's POV ;;\\;;**

"Claire?" Tori's hesitant voice called, stopping the girl in her tracks.

"Yeah?" Claire asked without turning, acidity clear in her voice.

"Where are you going?"

"Someone has to tell the scientists, and parents, and... Everyone." We both knew she was lying at this point, because everyone had to know. Kids from Inside were probably everywhere by now. If Tori and I had landed in this room, then the other kids were all over the facility. Maybe even on the roof.

"Right." Tori simply responded, without calling her out on her lie.

Claire stood rigid for a moment, as if deciding what to say. Then, : "You know, Tori, you can't have everything you want. You have to choose. You may have gotten everyone out, but no one's going to thank you for it. You're going to fade off, as if nothing had happened. So Ms. Perfect can't have the fame she was so obviously looking for in getting everyone out. "

She shifted slightly, her body shaking as if she was crying. "You could have gotten us killed. The scientists told me that, while I was waiting for you. And I kept waiting for you. I didn't stop, because I wanted to see you again. No matter what. I had thought you knew what you were doing. You've hurt a lot of people, even though you got us all out."

Claire took another step forward, before stopping again. "You hurt me. You hurt me, when you came out, and I saw you embracing her. You only hugged me once, then when you heard her voice behind you, you basically _leapt _ off of me to get to her."

Tori was shaking in my arms, already crying. I would have said something back to her, but I was stunned. Then, a few words came to mind.

"You didn't eve-"

"Get out, Claire. Leave. Use whatever excuse you have to, just get out. You have no right saying that to her. She didn't know anything, she didn't want fame. She made the best out of the worst situation, then got _everyone_ out of the worst situation. She's still suffering, by the way. But I see you look perfectly fine. She'll be suffering all her life, because she got beaten and whipped in there. She took the pain off everyone else, took all the blame for everything, even things that weren't her fault. She's lucky she's not dead. But, again, I see you look_ perfect._ And isn't that just great?"

She flinched at almost every word. Then she didn't say anything else, and walked out, leaving me and Tori alone, with Tori sobbing into my shoulder.

**;;/;; End of Flashback ;;\\;;**

"She may have meant it, Tori, but it's not true. Not one bit."

"Thanks again for sticking up for me, Jade."

"No problem." I don't know what possessed me then, but after I said that, I cupped her face in my hands, turning her head towards me, and kissed her. Her eyes closed, and mine did as well. Her hands slid up around my back, pulling me closer and effectively closing the very small remaining distance between us. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad day after all.

I finally pulled back from her, panting. She was blushing badly, and I had a feeling I was too. I stared at her for a long moment before managing to stutter out a few words.

"T-Tori! I-I'm so s-sorry!"

She looked stunned for a few more moments before simply responding.

"It's okay, Jade. It's really okay." She looked like she meant it. Her blush was slowly fading away, going away faster because her tanner skin hid it well.

I suddenly remembered something, which was surprising, considering the fried state of my brain right now. "Tori… why were you on the couch?"

"Huh? Oh… I had a nightmare…"

"I'm so sorry, Tori…"

"It was… so real… you know? It was like we were back there again…"

I stared at her for a few more moments, before coming up with a decent response. "Remember what you said? I'll protect you, no matter what."

"Promise?" She whispered.

"Promise." I nodded.

Just then, there was a knock on our front door. We both jumped. She slid out of my lap, both of us standing up with our hands locked together. I moved to the door with Tori following me. I looked out the peephole, and opened the door. It was the scientist who had talked to us on the first day we got Out before leaving.

"Jadelyn? Victoria?" He asked, pushing up his glasses.

"Yes?" I asked warily.

"We need you to come with us. We found something you may be interested in."

"Like what?" Tori questioned from behind me.

"Like maybe, and remember, I said _maybe_, how the.. ah.. what did you call them, Creatures? How the Creatures got to you specifically in the first place."

Tori and I watched him for a few moments, waiting for him to say he had been joking. When he just kept staring back at us, I looked back at Tori questioningly. She nodded. I looked back to the scientist.

"Give us three hours to get ready. We'll be there." After saying that and getting his response, I closed the door in his face. I immediately hugged Tori. When I had said get ready, I didn't mean appearance-wise. We could care less what we looked like to other people. I'd be following the scientist back to the lab right now if I thought we could handle it. I meant emotionally.

**A/N:**

**Sooo? To the few people that read this, How do you like it? Was this chapter good? By the way, thanks to Blackguard for giving me ideas. I really owe you, because I had no idea where I was going with this. I want to thank everyone that's sticking with me through this, because I know I don't update as often as you probably would like. Or do I? I dunno. You decide. And tell me in a review! Hey, that's a good idea! Tell me what you think in a review! I wish I had thought of that earlier, instead of, you know, coming up with this whole Author's Note story thingie. Yeah. So. Just review and make me happy! Love you guys! (But I'd love you more if you reviewed. Ooh, the pressure ;) ). Anways! Yeah. Review. **


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own no Victorious! Though… Raise your hand if you think I should! Oh… And I still think it should be called VicJorious. Because… In Dan's shows, all the enemies end up together… So! Jori it is! ... Enough of my blabbering. Onto the story!**

**;;/;; Jade's POV ;;\\;;**

Despite what I said to the scientist about three hours, we seemed to be ready in minutes. We calmed each other down. We kept each other calm. That's all we needed. I kept a hold of her hand, just in case. You never knew what could set her off. It's only supposed to be those words, but who knew now, with the scientist coming here and dropping that bomb on us like that.

Tori and I practically sprinted to my car. She was in the passenger seat before I even got the door open. As soon as I got in and slammed the door, Tori threw my keys at me. I caught them and got them into the ignition, pulling out of the driveway within minutes of leaving the front door.

Tori entered the location in my GPS so I didn't have to waste time doing it.

"_Location saved. Turn right, and then go 3.4 miles to your destination."_

3.4 miles? That's it? Wow. I did as the thing said, and then relaxed. Well… as relaxed as one could be while driving. I could feel Tori watching me, so I looked over at her before looking back at the road.

"Something you needed?" I cautiously asked.

"No… I… What happens if we get pulled in again, Jade?"

"We won't, Vega. I promise." I could see her flinch out of the corner of my eye at the use of her last name.

"Why do you still call me that?"

"It's a habit. I can't help it. It just seems to suit you. I'm sorry, Tori."

"It's okay." I could see her turn to watch out the window.

"_Location 1.4 miles ahead. Turn right onto the next exit, and then go left for .4 miles. Location will be on your right."_

We were lucky it was so close. Or unlucky. Lucky in a way that, we wouldn't chicken out. Unlucky in a way that we wouldn't think much about it. I could feel the tension rising in the car as we got nearer. I turned my blinker on, and got off the exit, turning left almost immediately. Was this the right decision? Should we have just stayed at home? Would it have been better if I had just ignored the person at the door?

Too late to know now. I turned right one last time, and parked at the Laboratory. I turned the car off, and just stared ahead for a few moments. Then I looked over at Tori.

"Ready?" I asked. My voice was far from steady.

"As I'll ever be." She responded. She was as nervous as I was.

We both got out of the car, and took each other's hand. "We can still leave, you know." I just had to voice my opinion…

"I know. But I don't want to." I knew she wouldn't.

"Truthfully… I don't either. I have to know." It really was the truth. All the doubts were my nervousness that anything could happen talking.

"Yeah…" She said quietly.

We held on to each other's hands as we slowly walked to the front of the building and opened the door. She was clenching onto my hand as hard as I was to hers. I hope we wouldn't break each other's bones.

"Hello?" The scientist from before said. "Ah. It's you two. Right this way, please."

"Right." I murmured. We both followed him to a large room. At the center, on a table, was the cause of everything bad in our lives right now. And one good.

It looked completely harmless. It really only looked like a small box with a place to insert DVD's or something at the top. There were helmets scattered around the room.

As Tori laid her eyes on it, her strong grip on my hand tightened. I cringed. "Ow, ow there, girl… It's okay… Calm down… We'll be okay…"

As I spoke, her grip slowly relaxed. Needless to say, we still held on to each other, but there were no more bone-breaking grips.

"As you can see, or more likely can't, we've been trying to, ah… let's say, break into it's system, with no luck. We were hopeing to get in to see what could have happened to, ah… drag you in. You didn't even have proper tech. It's mystifying." The scientist broke in.

"Yeah, yeah." I grumbled. "Real mysterious. What we're here for, is if… If you found out how they got to us."

"Yes, that was what I was getting to. You see, this is what we're doing to figure it out. To be honest with you… We can't. Not with the technology we have available to us at this moment. Now,-"

"If you can't figure it out… why did you bring us here?" Tori's quietly furious voice came from beside me. She was also scared, but that's something neither of us would admit. Her, because it's a weakness. Me, because I want to protect her.

"I agree… You told us to come here because you might know something about what happened. If you have nothing, this is a waste of our time and a strain on our emotions."

"We brought you here, because you, along with all the other… band kids, for the lack of a better, were the only ones to be able to get in. Ever."

"So… what are you asking from us?" I was glaring at him at this point. Tori's voice was like daggers. We could kill him, if we had to. If we had a good reason. If we had some way to. But we don't.

"What I'm asking is… You go back in." His quiet voice had turned eager, and really, it made me sick.

"You make me sick. Why did you pick us, out of everyone in here? Tori was the worst one hurt! You knew that! She was the ONLY one who had to go to a doctor for this! She still has relapses! You're just bringing this all back! Who authorized you to bring us out here for- for this!" I pointed angrily at the Virtual Reality thing on the table.

Tori was shaking beside me, and had her head against my shoulder right now. If she didn't, I would probably be at the scientist's throat.

My voice had gone dangerously quiet by now. "What… made you… come to us?"

"That's a simple answer, really. You're needed. You're time isn't quiet done. You… Along with Her… were… Are… valuable to scientific discovery. The others aren't here because… we can only keep so many people here under wraps. You two were the only ones living without someone who would notice that they were gone."

"You two… were the only two we could get. We don't care about any condition caused to one of you compared to the fact that this could help the whole human race." His whole rant was disgusting.

"By how? We almost got killed in there!" Tori exclaimed.

"By understanding how it works. By understanding how to get in. By understanding how to get out. By understanding everything about it."

"What kind of mad creep are you?" I asked.

"The kind… who wants to continue humanity." He said slowly.

"It's not humanity if no one's humane." I countered.

"No one can be humane if there's no one left!" He countered my counter.

"Point is, we won't do it! Humanity is in no danger! You just made that so they could live better. And, news flash, it hurt someone more than it helped anyone. Just make a new one." Tori said. I think she said it just to stop our bickering.

"She's right. We won't." I let go of her hand before linking arms with her. She responded by kissing me on the cheek.

The scientist muttered something like 'We'll see about that, girls' as we walked out of the building together. I don't think he noticed when I flipped him off, either.

**A/N: **

**So? Do you guys like this story? Or should I just stop? Am I making it more interesting? Tell me, Dang it! Dx. Tell me in a review, right now! Click the button! You know you want to! Or else… Or else you'll feel guilty the rest of your life and live as a hobo! (I'm not kidding either! I need to know what's good or if I should just drop the dang story!)**

**Review, you! **


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: If I did... Would I even bother writing this?**

**;;/;; Jade's POV ;;\\;;**

After we walked out of the scientist's lab, we just went home. I watched Tori the whole way, just in case. She seemed to be fine, but... I don't know. Something seemed off. 'Course, I couldn't blame her. Finding out scientists want us to go back in, after what happened... and especially with what went wrong the first time.

"Jade?" Tori asked for me, saying my name quietly. We had just layed down to go to bed. We found that sleeping in the same bed, well, no nightmares. For either of us.

"Yeah, Tor?"

"I'm scared the nightmares will come back tonight... and that maybe the scientist will be insane enough to come here and force us back in... and... lots of other things, too." Her fears were definatly rational. After the day we had, I wouldn't be surprised if something did happen.

"I know... I am too. There's nothing we can really do about it, though... I'll protect you. No matter what does happen." This seemed to relax her, though I did just basically confirm her fears.

"Will you... will you keep me in your arms tonight?" I blinked at this request. In a way, I got it. Feeling safe in someone's arms is the best way to go to sleep.

"I, uh... sure." I wrapped my arms around her, careful not to touch her back. Which, not surprisingly, was hard.

"It's okay... nothing happens when you touch it..." She seemed to sense my wariness about it. But at her words I slowly pulled her closer. She didn't seem to react, so we stayed that way.

"Goodnight, Tori." I murmured.

"Night, Jade... thank you." She responded back.

**;;/;; No one's POV, at the lab ;;\\;;**

There was a small, box-like thing, just sitting on a table in the middle of a white, semi-sterile room. There were helmets with wires attached to it, but you could barely tell. The helmets were scattered around the room from various attempts to try to get inside the box. All failed. The occasional light flashed from the small box, but not enough to draw attention to itself. If you listened carefully, you could hear a low hum. If you listened long enough, you could hear voices within the hum saying :_ Come to us... Bring them to us... Come... Give up for us... _But no one ever heard them. Ever. Except for one scientist. He sat in the room, and listened for hours. The experience caused him to go mad. But he listened to the voices.

That's why he had invited the girls here. They were the ones the Creatures wanted. Those were the ones that caused them humiliation. They, the Creatures, were thought to be dead by the girls. But, no such luck. No, the Creatures were going to get the two girls, no matter what happened. They were the ones that would be hurt, be beaten.

With that thought, the box glowed a warm, red color. For revenge. Then it stopped, and retreated inside itself. It went to cater to the Creatures. Yes, the box itself had thoughts, and feelings. They were manipulated by the Creatures inside of it. Most often, it was red. But sometimes, really only once, it glowed blue. For sadness. The Creatures were sad without their playmates. They wanted them back. But for pride, of course. No one every escaped them.

The tentacled, octopus-like creatures never lost. Never went without. They were like spoiled children, in a sense. Always wanting and always getting what they wanted. When they didn't, they through childish fits. When they were disobeyed, they threw fits. Anything upsets them, they threw fits. And they always, always got what they wanted.

Just then, another first, the box glowed deep green. Knowledge of the promise made to it to get the girls. It was going to get what it wanted, again. Then the girls would see, would pay. But first they had to get them back. The scientist would make sure of everything, or he would become their new play-thing. He had promised. 

The box changed it's humming for a moment, to say :_ We will succeed.. _Then it went back to the normal hum. It glowed a bright, yellow-white for happiness, and then the colors stopped. The door had opened. Their scientist came in, and stroked the box lovingly. Slightly obsessed.

"I will get them for you..." He said.

**A/N:  
>I kinda just creeped myself out. Can you imagine this? e.o<br>Anyway! I know this chapter is shorter than normal, but again, I'm unfortunately running into writers block. It's bugging me. Plus, I'm slightly busy. But oh well. I'll get over it. I WILL BE VICJORIOUS! I promise ;). Review!  
><strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Nope** **:(**

**;;/;; Two days later, Tori's POV ;;\\;;**

I don't know why, but I had to keep myself busy. Maybe I just couldn't think about... Them. Not even with Jade around. We had only been seperate for about an hour since after we got out. And since we left the scientist's lab, we hadn't been apart for more than 5 minutes.

I had a bad feeling about it, I guess. Intuition is something I've always listened to. And its never been wrong. When I thought something was going to go wrong that one night, it had. When we had just gotten out, when Claire was about to say that, I had a bad feeling. And before, when my parents and Trina were going out, I had a bad feeling. Then they got into a car wreck. I couldn't live with myself weeks after.

So, naturally, having a bad feeling now was killing me. I had to know what would happen, but I didn't want it to happen because I thought it would have something to do with Them.

I should stop thinking about them. Because I don't know what triggers the flashbacks. Someone other than Jade touching my back, and someone saying those words seemed to do it, but I didn't know if extreme anxiety and stress coupled with thinking about Them would do it or not. Especially so soon after being at the lab, being near Them again.

The doorbell ringing jerked me out of my thoughts. And I was thankful. Because I was starting to feel a pulling blackness that seemed to be dangerous. Jade was busy so it was up to me to answer it.

I got up off the couch, feeling slightly uneasy. We kept a bat near the front door though. So I went ahead and opened the door.

"Victoria." I flinched slightly. It was the scientist. I clutched the bat tighter in my left hand, which was hidden by the door.

"Dr. Scientist..." I said uneasily.

"Briar. James Briar."

"Dr. Briar." I corrected myself. "What... Exactly are you doing here?"

"I was hopeing to get you to change your mind about what we discussed two days ago..."

"Not a chance. We... I... Can't go back there."

"Which is it, we or I? Because if it's just you, we can certiantly negotiate something with Miss. Jadelyn..."

"That won't be needed." I was never so happy to hear Jade's voice. I could feel her taking the bat from my hand, and I let her. She had the better arm. "Now, if you would kindly leave..." Jade said, showing the bat in her right hand.

"I see. Well, that's too bad, then. I suppose we'll see eachother again." He muttered something else under his breath, not seeming the least bit worried about the bat. He turned and left, reluctantly, and Jade closed the door.

"He scared me..." I admitted.

"You wouldn't have had the bat otherwise." Jade said, acting nice, and so un-Jade like. **(A/N: inside joke ;)).** She set the bat down next to the door and took me into her arms, placing a kiss on my forehead. Still being so unlike herself. But I was greatful.

"I've had a bad feeling. All day." In fact, it was still going.

"Really? Maybe instead of doing work I should stay near you and keep away the big bad wolves." She knew about all my feelings, but there was still a teasing note in her voice. I couldn't help but feel better. This was more like Jade.

"I can take care of myself!" I mocked, trying to do what she had always done to me. It was hard to mock her.

"I don't talk like that." she chuckled, playing along. I made a face at her just to keep it up.

"I hate to interrupt this sweet moment..." A mocking voice came from behind me. Jades arms stiffened around me as she looked up.

I tried to turn around, but Jade's arms stayed vise-like around me. Keeping me from seeing him.

"Doctor. I believe we told you to leave." There was a very faint trace of strain in Jade's voice. Thats how I knew how bad it was.

"Yes. You did. I believe I told you that you should help humanity instead of being selfish." There was a madness living inside his voice. Like he was pushed into believing something.

"So tell me, doctor. How does holding a gun against my girlfriend and I help humanity?" Jades tightly controlled voice sounded. Gun? He had a gun? I strained slightly against Jades arms, wanting to see for myself. She let me turn, but kept her arms locked around my waist.

"Why, it will help me get you back to the lab without unnessecary extremities." His eyes were blank. And yes, he did hold a gun. It was held so it was pointed at my chest.

"You passed unnessecary when you broke into our house. In fact, you passed it when you came here a second time." I finally spoke up, able to gauge the situation because I was able to see it. I didn't care that he held a gun to me, as long as he didn't point it at Jade.

She was the same way. Because she was slowly putting me behind her. "Stop moving." The scientist ordered. We both froze. Now instead of pointing it at one of us, he was alternating between pointing at both of us. "You're going to come with me."

"If we don't?" Jade asked casually, when the gun was on her.

"Then I shoot both of you in the legs and drag you there myself." The weirdest thing, and what was creeping me out the most, was that his facial expression never changed. It was just blank. I knew he was being completely serious.

"Fine. We'll go." I said before Jade could say anything. She stared at me in disbelief. I returned her look, and whispered "Trust me." So only she could hear. She nodded.

"Then out the door you go. And into my car. No funny business." He said, moving towards us and grabbing my arm with his free hand, pressing the gun against my back.

"To make sure you don't do anything." He told Jade. She just about killed him with the glare she was giving him. But she wouldn't do anything if I was in danger. "You go to my car first, Jadelyn. I'll follow with Victoria. If you try anything I promise I'll shoot her. We only need one of you to help humanity."

"Fine." she snarled back at him. She left out of the front door to go to the scientist's car, probably thinking things that would make a priest go to cleansing.

"You go after. I will be right behind you with the gun, so don't think about doing anything." We watched as Jade opened the door to his car and grumpily got in, slamming the door. "I will have the gun pointed at her." He revised. Smart bastard.

I didn't say a word and followed Jade's path out to the scientist's car. She scooted to the other side of the car when she saw me coming. I opened the door and sat in the seat she had recently occupied. "Jade..."

"I know, close the door." I did as she asked. "You have a plan, don't you?"

"Somewhat... But I'm scared." I admitted.

"Anyone would be. Now, shush. Here he comes."

As if on cue, as soon as the last word left Jade's mouth, the scientist opened the drivers door to the car and got in. "Buckle up." The balding man commanded, as if he actually cared about our well-being. We obeyed, looking at each other and rolling our eyes.

The man pulled out of our driveway, and so began the not-so-long drive to the lab. Our neighborhood was empty, but that wasn't a surprise. We were the only ones in it so far. We liked our privacy. But when the scientist pulled onto the freeway, it was completely void of life. As in no one was on it. Which was incredibly odd. I mean, sure, it's two o'clock, the kids arn't out of school yet, and parents arn't out of work. But there should be someone. Shouldn't there?

Jade held on to my hand the whole ride there, to comfort me, and as we pulled into the lab parking lot her grip tightened. I looked at her. She was watching me, a concerned look on her face. I shook my head, looking at our demented driver before looking back at Jade. She nodded. The scientist looked back at us as he parked and narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to go out first. I want you two to get out and follow me as soon as I'm at the lab door. Got it?" We nodded. He got out of the car and shut the door.

I looked at Jade. "Okay, we follow him into the lab. There's that narrow hallway at the entrance, remember?" I didn't wait for her to answer. "So, you're going ahead of me and I'm going to kick him as hard as I can in the knee. Hopefully he'll drop. The gun will probably go off so we both drop. Grab the gun if you can. If not.. We'll knock him out or something. Okay?"

"Okay, but-"

"Girls! Come on!" The doctor interrupted Jade's protest, and I was glad. I wasn't letting her do anything dangerous, and she would probably bring up that point. I got out of the car, with a pissed-but-not-showing-it Jade following behind me. Dr. Briar smirked, gesturing Jade ahead of me, which only helped my plan. Jade complied and walked ahead of us, with me following behind her. "No funny stuff, Jadelyn. I have the gun at your girlfriend's back." You could hear the malice in his voice.

"Don't worry, doc." Jade said sarcastically as we entered the lab.

I waited a few steps, and then screamed, "Drop!" as I kicked back at the scientist. Jade obeyed, dropping to the floor seconds before me. As I predicted, the gun went off over our heads, harming neither of us. The scientist dropped, and Jade went for his gun. I saw her grab it.

"Run!" I yelled, scrambling back up and darting down the hallway with Jade just behind me. I didn't hear any other footsteps besides ours, and I had to smile. I must have kicked harder than I thought. I hope I broke his knee. We stopped outside of the building.

Jade panted for a few minutes, then said, "You know, I have to wonder... Where are all the other scientists?"

"Maybe Briar did something. I dunno." I gasped out. Usually, running didn't bother me. But after spending however many malnurished days Inside... Well, it was time to get back in shape.

Jade slid inside the passenger's side of the scientist's car, reaching under the dash and messing with a few things. Seconds later, the car roared to life. I never thought the fact that Jade could hotwire cars would come in handy. Jade got out of the passengers side and moved to the drivers side while I went to the passengers side Jade had just occupied.

_/Wait, Victoria Vega. Why do you go? We just want Our plaything back. Won't you come back to us? Be with Us again.\_ Their voice came into my mind. I froze at the car door. _/You know you want to come back to Us. Turn around. Come back. Be Our plaything again. We can have so much fun. Like before.\_ Against my will, I felt myself turning around and heading back into the lab. I heard Jade yelling behind me, and as I passed him, Dr. Briar's triumphant laughter. Though it all sounded far away, compared to Their voice in my head.

_/That's right. Keep coming, almost there. Come be with Us again, good, good girl.\_ At those words, I froze again. I no longer felt the need to go to Them again. Their words thankfully snapped me out of Their trance without Them knowing it. Fortunately, it didn't cause a flashback, though my back did start aching. I suspected it was bleeding. Good thing there was still an ace bandage on it.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and Jade's calming voice next to my ear. "You stopped. I was afraid you would go to Them again." It was a good thing she talked, though, because I had almost elbowed her in the stomach. I didn't hear Dr. Briar's low laughter anymore, and I assume Jade took care of him. By knocking him out, of course.

"They said Those two words. It didn't cause me to have a flashback, but it did get me out of Their grip. I can still hear Them in my mind, but They arn't as compelling as before. I still.. I still want to go in the room though. I have to do something."

"Okay." Jade simply said. She must think I'm crazy. I took the gun from her grip. If she was surprised, she didn't show it.

I led the way into the room, staring at the small box on the table that caused way too much trouble. I held the gun up, and the box itself started glowing a sickly purple color as it realized my deadly intent. Desperation. I pulled the trigger without a second thought. Or honestly even a first.

The gun held more kick than I was expecting, almost knocking me over, but Jade's hands were resting on my shoulder and she prevented me from falling or giving myself a black eye. I fired again, and a third time, before Jade gently took the gun from me. There were three holes in the Virtual Reality device, all sparking with wires hanging out, but the box was no longer glowing, and the mean hum that had permeated the room earlier was gone.

"We can go now, Tori. It's over." At her words, I realized I was shaking. I allowed Jade to lead me out of the room and the lab, safely getting to the car. It was over.

**A/N:**

**Blech. Well, it is over, unless you want one more chapter showing how things went on. I would have had this up yesterday, but I deleted the whole freakin' chapter by accident. I had a freak out episode, complete with banging my head on the wall and screaming at myself, before remembering I had emailed part of the chapter to myself earlier on for some unknown reason. So I didn't have to start ALL over, but just mostly. So... Yeah. That's why you get this so soon. You know, you guys should review telling me how stupid I am (Because the chapter I deleted was much better than this one) and telling me if you want one more chapter, or if this story is going on the bookshelf. Enough of my rambling, review please**! **Oh! And thanks for reading!**


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